Manager: Chief Motivator

A few years ago, Saturday Night Live's Chris Farley played the part of a Motivational Speaker, Matt Foley. I always smile when I think about how the guy living "in a van down by the river" was set up to help motivate others. Eventually, Matt Foley would fall over a piece of furniture, breaking it into peices. His efforts could be summed up in a single word: Fail.

One of a manager’s most important tasks is to motivate his people. Sales, production, customer service, everything about the business relies on the people being motivated to do the job. Here are 10 tips that will help a manager motivate his people.

#1 If you want more innovation from your people, they have to feel secure. Even when the job changes, the employee has to feel safe. If they are worried about losing their job, the tendency is to stretch out the work. This is so very contrary to an atmosphere of innovation.

#2 Avoid being a Demotivator. As the leader, your job is to get and keep your people motivated and working toward that common goal. Demeaning them erodes their motivation. Do not be dismissive. Watching your own actions will help you be sure you’re not planting the landmines to sabotage your own efforts.

#3 Any organization’s greatest resource is the people. With the best, high tech equipment available, if you don’t have the people, you don’t have the business. Treat your people with greater care as you would your most expensive equipment.

#4 Do you remember that fire you felt on your first week, your first month on the job? Over time that feeling tends to fade and the enthusiasm dulls. It is important to fan the flames of your employees’ enthusiasm. Keep that flame bright and hot and the output will continue to amaze.

#5 Listen. You spend all the effort to find and hire the best. It just doesn’t make sense to ignore them after they’ve started drawing a paycheck. Listen to your employees. They are your best resources (see #3).

#6 Don’t Spray the Monkeys! Early in my relationship with any employee I share this little anecdote to help them understand how I feel about continuous improvement. I think it applies here as well.

Imagine if you will a large enclosure with stairs going to the ceiling in the center of the cage. At the top of the stairs is a bunch of bananas. The cage is rigged with sprinklers. Place five monkeys into the cage and almost immediately one of the monkeys is going to go after those bananas. As soon as that monkey reaches for the bananas spray all the monkeys with cold water. Do this every time a monkey reaches for the bananas and soon they will all ignore them.

Turn off the water and replace one of the monkeys with a new monkey. That monkey is going to see the bananas and head straight way for a nice banana treat. But before the monkey can touch the bananas, the others will beat the monkey, preventing him from getting too close to the bananas. After the second or, if the monkey is particularly stubborn, third attempt the new monkey stops going after the bananas.

If you replace a second monkey with another new monkey, like the first replacement the new monkey is going to head straight for the bananas. This time the first replacement monkey is going to join in beating the new monkey – getting significant joy out of the experience. He doesn’t know why he is beating the monkey except that it is what everyone else is doing. The new replacement monkey is going to give up on the bananas after the second or third beating as well.

If you replace the other three monkeys one at a time, a similar experience awaits the new monkeys. Soon, there are five monkeys sitting a cage with bananas at the top of the stairs that none of the monkeys will touch. They will not know why those bananas are no good but they will leave them alone, never to touch or eat them.

Why won’t they? Because that is the way it has always been. This is how policy begins. It is also how we kill innovation. Blind devotion to old policies leads to stagnation and de-motivates the would be innovative employee.

#7 Do not treat your employees like they are mushrooms. If you’ve ever gone to a mushroom farm, then you’d know mushrooms grow well when they are kept in the dark and fed horse manure. People aren’t like mushrooms. They thrive when they are kept in the loop and given the information.

#8 Participation breeds acceptance. When employees have the opportunity to participate in the discussion, they are more likely to embrace the decision management makes.

#9 Listen. Actively listen to your customers, your employees, your suppliers and anyone who may come in contact with your business. Objectively evaluate what they have to say. You’ll learn a lot, maybe even something that will benefit your business.

#10 Respect, Value, Human Touch. The three essentials of effective customer service is just as applicable to how we lead our people. Interestingly, you can’t really apply these essentials to the customer until after you’ve successfully applied them to the way you lead people.

The Overqualified Candidate

The business climate today is something that has many of us a little worried. It is easy to just sit back and watch as events unfold, worried to make certain moves, concerned that making just the wrong decision will backfire and move you from the precipice right over the edge into the unemployment line with so many of your peers. Well, don’t take the easy way out just because things are tough. This economy, like so many other things, will not continue on into perpetuity. Yes, it will end. Now is the time to do things that will position your organization for success in the future. Taking things too safely will endanger future success.

The tight labor market is a perfect example of opportunity knocking on your door. You can benefit from this and hire better people so you will come out ahead when the recovery starts. HR might try to deprive you of these candidates since they are “overqualified”. Your own doubts about your own skills might stand as a barrier between you and these better people. Using these highly talented people will place you in a far better position in the future. Think of “overqualified” as just a new moniker for the best choice.

Many of the current displaced workers are more willing to put forth efforts you’ll not find under any other circumstances. People with great backgrounds and exceptional skills are willing to put that talent to work in places they would never have considered only a few years ago. The benefits these individuals can bring to the table are significant.

An “overqualified” candidate is simply someone whose resume is more extensive and more impressive than the hiring manager expected. That’s it. Since the Human Resourced department doesn’t know how much additional qualification is acceptable, the “overqualified” candidate is filtered out before the hiring manager even has a chance to see his resume or the candidate is given the opportunity to show he is the best for the position. This leaves the manager wasting resources training and developing less qualified personnel when another could have jumped into the position ready to work nearly from the start.

Some reasons for not hiring the “overqualified” candidate are valid, while others are not. They are too expensive, hard to train, skills are not up-to-date, they may suffer boredom, or leave when things improve.

Probably one of the more common reasons for not hiring an “overqualified” candidate is the cost involved. With more experience comes the higher demand for compensation. Sometimes, this is true. Most of the time, however, it is not. When posting the position, including a salary range provides enough screening to weed out most candidates who expect to be paid more. Certainly, the more experienced worker will probably seek a higher salary but might be willing to work for the lower pay knowing that it may be the best you can do. They will do it and do it well.

A manager may worry that those whose experience exceeds the minimum might come to a job with some very ingrained responses and unwilling to change. This should be cleared up in the interview. If the candidate expresses they are not willing to change, dump them and move on to the next guy. Do not use the resume as a screening device based on this criterion, though.

The manager should ascertain how recent the candidate’s skills are in the interview. An overqualified candidate’s skills are probably broader than the less experienced worker. He is probably significantly more advanced technologically and interpersonally. Taking advantage of this, the manager will have an easier time training this candidate and be able to rely on his ability to multi-task and work across functional roles.

Worry about boredom is hardly a proper screening technique. Covering this possibility in the interview and seeking the candidate’s response to what their tendencies are in such situations might provide insight into how much more the candidate can help the organization. Boredom can spawn improvement if it is the right candidate.

An overqualified candidate might leave when things improve but that is not any different than any other candidate. After the new hire begins working, retention becomes part of a good manager’s skill set. A good manager helps their personnel feel appreciated and motivated so they will remain with the company.

The overqualified candidate might just be your best option. Reviewing the candidate’s experience and skills, seeking answers to your concerns in the interview process, and weighing that against potential gains for the company will lead the manager toward making the best decision for the long-term benefit for the organization while quite possibly saving significant costs short term.

Be A Hot Dog!

High Performance Driving Factors

High performance cars do it. High performance boats and motorcycles do the same. High performance is showing off. It isn’t about bragging or arrogance. Showing off is simply bringing your best to everything you do. It’s being focused. It’s working with the intention of creating results that benefit the stakeholders for every situation. It’s about creating value through accomplishment.

Here’s a list of four keys to “showing off” through high performance:

1. Stupidities, Braveries and Innovation

Interestingly, top performers are those who seem to act with incredible stupidity and the bravery that rivals that little dog going up against a mad grizzly bear. They are the ones making choices other’s fear to even consider. They’ll try things without knowing the outcome. They don’t settle for safety, doing that which seems ridiculous and just outside of sane.

This is the flagship of an innovator. To put it out there, making the bold and brash decisions. If you were to ask anyone about the importance of innovation for an organization to stay competitive, the answer will always be positive. That’s generally where it ends – lip service to innovation.

Innovation is not about waiting to see someone else test the waters for safety. It’s about trying things out without knowing success is sure. You’ve got to let go of what used to work, or the “it’s always been this way” attitude. It’s letting go of those things that have made you successful up to this point and striking out into unknown territory. It’s acting with an attitude of grand stupidity – your mantra: “Let’s find out if this will work.”

Mark Twain posited, “I knew a man who picked a cat up by the tail. He learned 40 percent more about cats than the man who didn’t.” Although you might get a little scratched up, sometimes you’ve got to pick the cat up by the tail. That extra bit of information might by your edge in a competitive environment.

2. High Performance: The Need For Speed

Customer loyalty used to be all about the “what have you done for me lately.” It’s not about that so much anymore. The interest in “lately” has moved to an fascination with what’s going to happen next. The advent of faxes, email, instant messaging and texting has brought with it the attitude of “I want it yesterday”. It’s about getting it now – instant gratification.

I’ve seen it happen more often. The corporate world is about having meetings about the new ideas. We’ll study the ideas, have more meetings about the ideas, table the ideas in favor of newer ideas. We’ll talk about it until they’re not relevant anymore. Our meetings are the death of innovation. Top performers do it now. Innovation requires it.

The most effective organizations are set up around speed. Action. Do it now. If it’s a good idea, the responsibility for implementation is assigned, guidelines for accountability set, funding arranged, GO! There’s no dillydallying around on this one, baby.

The top performer fears being stuck in the mud on the road – indecision. They do not fear making a wrong turn. Indecision is the mud holding back the organization. Wrong turns can be corrected, standing still in the constantly moving traffic of the marketplace can be fatal.

Action meet speed. You’ll get back to me tomorrow? That gives me plenty of opportunity to find someone else to do the job now – you’re out. Returning that call within 24 hours just doesn’t cut it anymore. Your customers, co-workers, or vendors are more interested in the speed of their second hand than the open spaces on your calendar.

3. The Relentless Pursuit Of Improvement

Who’s the greatest boxer of all time? OK, that question is one that will cause many boxing fans to start debating about this guy or that guy. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. Sugar Ray Robinson. Henry Armstrong. Joe Louis. Some might even suggest Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson or Evander Holyfield. The arguments are plenty with strong supporting facts.

Who’s the greatest professional golfer in the world over the past ten years? I bet almost anyone reading that would answer Tiger Woods.

What commonality do all these boxers and Tiger Woods have? They all have a coach. Although they were all considered at one time in their careers to be the best – not just one of the best – they all had someone to help them improve. This is the fact we should all come to understand. No one should ever be as good as they’re going to be. Inside every top performer is a higher performer trying to break free.

Every company I know of has something, some policy about constant improvement. They all have given the lip service. What they know to be true about the competitive nature of innovation and what they put into practice aren’t necessarily the same. What steps did you take today to make things better tomorrow?

I’ve attended more than one continuous improvement meeting that started off with some kind of attention-getter with the intent of getting every attendee to “think outside the box.” There’s a good reason for that kind of innovation. Do not ignore what’s inside the box while you’re focusing on the outside. Some of the best innovation can be focused on the basics of your business. Some of the greatest returns are realized when investing in improving the customers’ basic expectations.

Think about the hamburger stand that sells the best tasting hamburger. The menu will probably be rather scant. The frills aren’t there. Hamburger, fries and a drink or two. They aren’t interested in inventing a new, outrageous fad. It’s about making that hamburger the best it can be. Simply serve a better hamburger fast so it’s hot. Basic.

4. Next Stop, Normal.

Yeah, I know. That is a name of a book but I lived in Normal, Illinois for 10 years, where the Texas Eagle stops on its way to San Antonio. What is normal? Here’s the essence of normal: We don’t always know what’s going to happen next. Show offs thrive on the unexpected. They perform well when under pressure. They plan carefully. They research, forecast and consider every contingency. They are completely at ease with the reality that something totally unexpected will happen. That’s normal. Embrace the unknown.

Although making the right choice was once the way to succeed, today it’s about making that choice quickly enough. It’s about ignoring what that choice will do to your world right now, being ready to switch gears because the situation just changed. If you can’t perform under those circumstances, you’re in trouble. There’s not enough time to understand everything that might happen.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was something of a poet when he told the Whitehouse press core the following:

As we know,
There are known knowns.
There are things we know we know.
We also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.

Too much analysis impedes innovation. We’re just not going to know everything. The difference between the person who easily and gracefully handles the unexpected and the person who crawls under the desk and assumes the fetal position: The Normal Factor. Whatever happens is normal. Although it may not be acceptable, it’s still normal.

Stuff happens and the top performer understands. However carefully you plan your work and work your plan, the unexpected will happen. The proverbial wrench will drop into your well-constructed plan. The one thing we need to remember when creating opportunity from change – always expect change. What happens might not meet exactly with your expectations, but it is normal. Respond appropriately.

Show Off

It’s a good thing. It’s a mindset. The true show off is often the quiet one who consistently performs with a sense of style. Remember the old saying about the duck: Above the surface, be calm and elegant. Below the surface, paddle like hell.

Executives and managers rate “consistency of performance,” “performing under pressure,” and “delivering results” as the top three employee attributes. Achieving these attributes is not a matter of rocket science. Choose how to respond to each and every situation, challenge and opportunity.

The Coffee Cup As a Management Tool

An unobtrusive tool for employee development

As a manager, we are tasked with making our resources do the most, perform at the best possible rate, get the most return for our investment. Employees are an organization’s most valuable resource. Interestingly, one of the best tools a manager might find to gain the greatest access to an employee might just be a coffee cup. The simple act of taking someone to coffee gives you an opportunity to sit with him or her, listen, and learn. It is this kind of conversation that might be one of the most powerful motivators – the biggest bang for your buck. This simple act can head off conflict and violence. Sharing a cup of coffee is simple but it gives you a great opportunity to learn important information about yourself, your employees, your company, and even your competitors.

Coffee with Your Employees

Meeting with each key employee and direct report is certainly very important. However, these meetings are frequently interrupted because both you and the employee are so busy and someone always has a “crisis” that needs one or the other to deal with it. You know you’d get a lot more done if you could just do it without interruptions. So, get out of your office, take the other person out for a cup of coffee.

While I worked in Monterey Park, California, there was a small sandwich shop across the street. Although the trip across the street was like a very life-like and human form of frogger, the shop provided an excellent and close place to have a short one-on-one discussion. The options weren’t limited to this one shop, there was another just up the road. Still, your cup of coffee doesn’t have to be outside of the building. Sneaking off to the breakroom to “buy” that cup of coffee and sit at one of the tables is certainly sufficient. Additionally, there’s no chance of getting too close to an errant car.

Coffee is not Always Coffee

“Grabbing a cup of joe” doesn’t have to mean coffee, which is very good since I don’t even drink the stuff. If you or your employee is like me, or just wants a break from the stuff, there are plenty of alternatives. This isn’t about consuming coffee. The whole point is about getting away from all the distractions for a little bit, so the beverage doesn’t really matter at all. Bottle water, sports drinks, fruit juices and sodas are all acceptable. It should be something relatively inexpensive that is readily available, can be served quickly and something you can linger over while you talk.

Coffee Has no Alcohol

You certainly want to avoid alcohol. Regardless of the time of day, going out for a “beer” or “having a glass of wine” makes it more of a social event than a business meeting. Additionally, you are not going to be nearly as productive if either of you is impaired. The temptation to get the other person to relax a little so they’ll be more open with you through alcohol is unethical and dishonest. Being open and honest with your employees will produce the same results without the potential legal problems.

Listen. Really listen.

OK, you’re at the coffee shop instead of your office. It is very important to remember why you’re there. You’re there to learn something from the other person. Your purpose or the information you’re after might be one of many different things. It might be just as important to check their temperature as it is to check the coffee’s – find out if they are overstressed and why. The one common thread to all of these goals is keeping your mouth shut and letting him or her talk. Your mouth needs to be shut for your ears to be open.

Remember you left your office so you could focus all your attention on what they are saying – don’t let distractions interrupt you here either. Occasionally repeat statements of theirs back to them to show you are listening and encourage them to keep talking. Interestingly, the Japanese have a word for this. It is aizuchi.

Manage the “Coffee Cup”

A coffee break gives you a chance to get away from the distractions and interruptions.

Coffee, tea, soda, or water. The beverage doesn't matter.

Pick a beverage that is inexpensive and quick, but that you can linger over.

Cell phone and pagers should be turned off or at least ignored.

Alcohol is out.

Actively listen to the other person. That's the purpose for this getaway.

Benefits of Employee Recognition

You’ve seen the star of the week boards at your local fast food restaurant. The service industry seems to have grasp onto the employee recognition plan while other industries fall behind. Yes, employee recognition is limited in most organizations. In fact, one of the chief complaints among employees is a lack of regular recognition. Managers seem to ask why recognition should be given for people who are just doing their jobs anyway. And, we’re always so very busy. Put those two factors together and you have a work place that fails to provide recognition for employees.

Why Employee Recognition
Managers who prioritize employee recognition understand the power that comes of recognizing achievements. They know that employee recognition is not just a nice thing to do for people. The strength of employee recognition is how effectively it communicates reinforcement, rewards people for important outcomes people create for the organization.

Recognizing people effectively reinforces the actions and behaviors you want to see repeated. Certainly, an effective employee recognition system should be simple, immediate, and powerfully reinforcing. Implemented correctly, employees will feel they are appreciated. People who feel appreciated will work better and produce more.

The Good Boss makes other people feel important and appreciated, excelling at creating opportunities to provide rewards, recognition and thanks to his or her staff. He creates an environment in which people feel important and appreciated.

Employee Recognition Suggestions
Here are a few suggestions for powerfully reinforcing the recognition you give:

Put it in writing. Lay it out there in black and white. It doesn’t have to be huge and outlandish – a gaudy display. Write out the recognition – what the employee did, why it was important, and how the employee’s actions helped your organization. Give a copy of the letter to the employee, the department head and to Human Resources to file in their employee file. You can reference the recognition during your next Performance Review.

Leave ‘em A Note. Write a personal note to the employee. You might have your supervisor sign it, too. Be sure to make a copy to place in the employee’s file.

A Gift? Engraved plaques, Company Logo emblazoned merchandise, even a certificate of appreciation reinforce the employee recognition.

Money, cash, bread, lucre, dough. Everyone likes cash or something like it – gift cards & gift certificates. If you use such a form of employee recognition, it’s best to include some kind of note or letter. You want the employee to remember the recognition long after the money is gone.

Make It Public. Show the recognition in a place and at a time when others will see. Even if the employee is uncomfortable with the public recognition, you won’t get the full benefit of employee recognition without others seeing it happen. You want the other employees to know that due recognition is being offered.

Effective Isn’t About Expense
A simple “thank you” counts as employee recognition. It’s also the basic consideration everyone should be able to expect. You can make employee recognition as elaborate as you want. It doesn’t have to be elaborate to be effective, though. Recognition should not be a scarce resource. You can’t run out of it. You don’t need a big budget for employee recognition but your returns will be great.

Customer Satisfaction: Job 1

It’s quite incredible, really. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard from the workforce have been about the most important piece of the puzzle – the customer. It is absolutely true. Customer-induced stress is the one thing many employees will list as one of their biggest concerns. Sad. Without customers, we would have no business. Whether they are internal or external, customers are the reason we go to the office every day. If a business does not have enough customers, they focus on finding more. Keeping customers happy is the key to retaining customers.

There is actually a real bottom line benefit to keeping the customer happy. Companies with the most-satisfied customers have a track record for increasing their stock values over the past few years. Additionally, these companies have seen less volatility in their stock values, had lower turnover and are able to generate more cash, bringing products to the market faster. The link between customer satisfaction and a company’s stock values is stronger than you might think.

Looking at the information found at the American Customer Satisfaction Index website, you can find plenty of information on customer satisfaction for more than 200 companies. All this information is free too. The rankings were developed by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan business school.

Conducting around 65,000 phone interviews a year, the National Quality Research Center asks consumers if they’ve used certain products or services recently. They follow up with the consumers to determine their satisfaction with levels of quality, reliability, and whether the good or services met their expectations. Further, the surveyors seek information about whether the consumers have had any complaints and the likelihood they will be repeat customers. The answers are ranked and tallied, creating an overall score for a company on a scale of 1 to 100, 100 being optimal. These scores are posted with company rankings and averages for industry groups.

What is really interesting about this survey is the correlation between happy customers and the firm’s stock prices. Investors should be very interested in this as well. Some of the reasons for the correlation between happy customers and happy shareholders are obvious. Satisfied customers tend to be more loyal. They share that loyalty with their friends. Fewer complaints from the customer means the employees have to devote less time to putting out such fires and warranty costs are lower.

Other reasons for this correlation are not so readily obvious. Companies with happier customers have lower employee turnover. There seems to be a pretty strong relationship between customer satisfaction and employee attitudes, which affect customer satisfaction – a doubled edged blade.

Happier customers also tie in with greater cash generation. Interestingly, a 1-point increase in the customer satisfaction rankings relates to an increase in cash flow into a company’s coffers of about 7%. Happy customers means more predictable cash flows and lower borrowing costs.

Better relationships with the consumers provide the company with greater flexibility on pricing. They can typically get away with price increases, which helps the bottom line. H.J. Heinz (HNZ), which has a 4-point lead over its peers in the University of Michigan customer-satisfaction rankings, was able to increase prices by 6% in the first quarter. This is far beyond any other large-cap food company.

Companies with high customer-satisfaction ratings seem to have an advantage when launching new products as well. Loyal customers are readily willing guinea pigs. Take Apple (AAPL ) for example. Because of the user-friendly design of the iPod, happy iPod customers have been buying other Apple products – iPhones and Macs. Although priced higher than comparable products, the happy consumer is willing to pay the price.

Customers are the very life-blood of any for profit organization. They are the reason there is a cash-flow in the first place. Customer satisfaction is built on a foundation comprised of many aspects. Indeed, it is hard to compensate for poor quality, just as it is difficult to overcome other missed opportunities. Still, the large picture of the customers’ satisfaction level should be forefront at every level of the corporate chain.

Old or Seasoned?

I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with people of all ages. One thing I have noticed, however, is the work force is aging. Some are closer to retirement than others. In fact, one thing a manager needs to learn is how to motivate and manage the talent pool regardless of the age of the employees. The manager needs to take the lead and create a climate in which all workers will remain productive and engaged. Here are a 10 tips to managing the generational gap.

1. Throw out all assumptions. The older worker is not necessarily the harder worker or more difficult to train. Each employee is an individual and should be treated as such.

2. Remember the range of ages. A 21-year old directly out of college requires different guidance than the seasoned 35-year old. The 15 year gap is no less important for the older workers. A worker at 55 and 70 have different goals and needs. As a manager, you may need to look at groups getting ready to retire (55-62), retirement age and still working (62-70), and older worker who wants to keep active or who needs to work (70+). Each group presents different management challenges.

3. Communication cannot be over-emphasized. Never assume the older worker knows what you expect of them. They do not have the same background as you. The importance of clear communication never changes. Saying, “Bill, take care of that for me” is not enough. Explicitly state what the measurements of completion and success will be.

4. Value life experience. The older worker has been around. They have seen a lot. They have done a lot. Recognize the value of their experience and learn from it. Encourage the younger members of the team to learn from it. Lessons from the “school of hard knocks” are invaluable.

5. Training and Guidance. Older workers need training as much as younger workers – just as much, just as often. The subject of the training may be different but the need is the same. Do not believe that older workers cannot be trained. They are just as receptive as their younger peers.

6. Security. Older workers probably need benefits more than the younger workers. They need medical coverage, vision care, and financial planning. Make sure your company’s benefits plan meets their needs too.

7. Motivation. Any manager’s key job is to motivate their employees. Older workers have different motivational “hot buttons” than do the younger employees. Opportunity for advancement is probably less important than the recognition of a job well done.

8. You don’t have to “be the boss”. The older workers grew up in a hierarchical society. They know you are the boss. Most of them were bosses at some point too. Get on with leading the department and don't waste time posturing. It won't impress them anyway. They've seen it all before.

9. Be flexible. Your older workers, depending on age group (see #2 above) may want flexible hours or a shorter work week. For those of them that need that, be willing to be flexible. You need their talent and technical skill so do what you need to to keep it available. Do not, however, assume that all older workers want to go home early. Some may be motivated by working the same long, hard hours that they have always done.

10. Use them as mentors. Let them coach and encourage the younger workers. Most older workers have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they would love to pass on. Give them the opportunity to do so and your entire organization will benefit.